Heyhoe Flint, 1st global star of women's cricket, dies at 77

FILE- In this Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010 file photo, former cricketer from England Rachael Heyhoe Flint, center, flanked by West Indies Joel Garner, left, and Courtney Walsh after they were inducted into the ICC's Hall of Fame at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Awards 2010 in Bangalore, India. Heyhoe-Flint, who became a figurehead for women’s cricket as a World Cup-winning England captain, has died. She was 77, it was reported on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi, File)

LONDON — Rachael Heyhoe Flint, who became a figurehead for women's cricket after captaining England to World Cup glory, has died. She was 77.

Heyhoe Flint's death was announced Wednesday by the Marylebone Cricket Club.

During an international career lasting almost 20 years, Heyhoe Flint represented England 45 times in tests and one-day internationals. She won the 1973 World Cup

"She was the first global superstar in the women's game and her overall contribution to MCC, cricket and sport in general was immense," MCC President Matthew Fleming said.

Heyhoe Flint was one of the MCC's first female members and was the first woman elected on to the club's full committee in 2004. The MCC are the guardians of the laws of cricket.

"She wasn't just a pioneer for women's cricket," British sports minister Tracey Crouch wrote on Twitter. "She was a trailblazer for women in sport."